“I hate you,” he mouthed.
“If he’s doing it right, there shouldn’t be a mess.” I nearly choked on my coffee as Bernard offered his personal insight. He had a knack for injecting his dry wit at the best of times. I eyed the bearish man. I might need to revisit my aversion to taking cock.
Alejandro held up a finger at Bernard. “We’re going to revisit your etiquette in the bedroom, you nasty bear. First, Griffin, we’re dying to hear.”
Out of nowhere, Chad stood at the table, pouring a cup of coffee setting it in front of the man. “Leave him alone. We already know he’s a shower in the morning kind of guy. Xander, how about you tell us about that fling you were parading around last week?”
Griffin gave the barista a high-five. Well played Chad, well played. He was the unofficial fifth member of the breakfast club. His ability to appear whenever a cup ran dry or when the conversation turned toward dating and sex bordered on supernatural.
“He’s ancient history.” Truth be told, he had texted asking if I wanted to get together again. He was a sweet guy, which in my world spelled disaster. Sweet men weren’t the type to put up with my collection of baggage.
Alejandro raised an eyebrow. “You know you can go on a second date with a guy and not get married, right? It might do you some good to have somebody to come home to.”
Great, I was getting dating advice from a man whostruggled to remember the name of the last superhero he rode like a nickel steed outside of the drugstore. “Okay, I think we’ve had enough discussion about my love life.”
Alejandro turned to Griffin and continued grilling him about his new boyfriend. Bernard, however, leaned onto the table. His twitching mustache gave away the impending sagely advice. Out of this crew, he balanced out our overly emotional responses with a calm demeanor.
His eyes softened as he reached under the table, resting his hand on my thigh. He gave it a firm squeeze. “I think a second date is exactly what you need.”
That was easier said than done.
2
“I’m not goingto watch them die.”
Lei grabbed my arm. Her brow wrinkled as she prepared to deliver a sarcastic comment for violating the administration’s rule book. She proved herself to be a superb partner in the truck, and I couldn’t think of many medics I’d rather have at my six. But when it came to the primary people we were directed to help, she listened to the bigwigs. I, on the other hand, cared more about saving lives.
“If they write you up again?—”
“The goddamned bridge is collapsing. There are people out there.” I knew she was waiting to save a fallen hero, but how could she ignore their panicked screams? While Lei could sit in the ambulance and watch innocents plunge to their deaths, my training took hold.
I shoved the passenger door open and jumped out. We had arrived on-site to provide medical attention to Dr. Arcane and his mystics. A portal on the far side of the bridge had opened and out poured a small army of golems. These magical creatures had been created by some evil villain, but it was up to the Doc and his sidekicks to stop them. Nowhere in the expectations did it say, “Do not destroy the bridge into Vanguard City.”
I followed the massive cable on the side of the bridge until I discovered the problem. The thinner wires connecting the bridge to the suspension cable had severed, torn away, and now more threatened to break. With a volley of fireballs, the heroes annihilated the front row of the muddy beasts, but the explosions rocked the bridge enough that a chasm formed.
While they prepared their next spells, the crack widened, cars falling into the river below. People leapt from their vehicles, running away from the growing hole in the middle of the bridge. It would only be a matter of minutes before the center of the bridge collapsed.
“Help.” The meek voice barely rose above the bolts of pink lightning thrown by Dr. Arcane. Jogging toward the hole, a cubbish man caught me by the arm.
“Leave it to the heroes.” His glasses were bent, nearly obscuring the cut above his right eye. “The bridge is collapsing.” He was a thick man. Dare I say chubby? If hehadn’t tried to prevent me from doing my job, I might have offered to buy him a coffee.
I yanked my arm away. “I know, asshole.”
Picking up the pace, I reached the edge of the expanding hole. Asphalt continued breaking away, toppling hundreds of feet into the icy river below. Dr. Arcane should have turned his attention to the civilians, the people unable to protect themselves. Instead, he showed off for the public, giving his ego a sloppy hand job.
“Help!”
A dark blue car jerked as the road under the rear wheel crumbled. The door had been dented, hit with enough force it trapped the driver inside. No thinking, just acting. I ran, grabbed the door handle, and lifted with all my might. Even the frequent trips to the gym hadn’t given me enough strength to tear the door from its frame.
“Don’t leave me.” His eyes were desperate, pleading with me not to abandon him. Reaching for the pocket on my thigh, I fished around for the cold metal.
“Turn your face away.” He listened without question. Gripping the utility tool, I smash it against the window. “Can you climb out?”
“My seatbelt—” I don’t need to hear the end of his statement. I smashed the glass, clearing enough for me to lean through the window.
“Thank you.” He’s terrified, his voice trembling like a man about to die. I flipped the tool around, snaking itbetween his waist and the seatbelt. It took a few jerks, but I tore through the fabric.
“Climb,” I barked.
